On the bookshelf

09juli2014
Publisher: John Hopkins University Press, 2013
Geckos: The Animal Answer Guide

How many species of gecko are there anyway? What do geckos eat? And how do those little beasties walk on the ceiling like that? These and many other questions grace the pages of this accessible little book about geckos.
This volume is addressed to the interested reader, not necessarily to professionals, but even an advanced herpetologist can get something out of it. Among the interesting features is a list of all known species of gecko, and an extensive bibliography. The book is divided into a number of chapters (introduction, form and function, colour, behaviour, food and feeding, reproduction and development, geckos and humans), and in each chapter, questions lead the way to explaining a great deal about geckos. Such as: why do geckos’ eyes sink in when they bite? And: are geckos venomous?

Photos and drawings illustrate the questions where needed. The author is a lizard biologist and gecko expert. And the answer to the questions? There are nearly 1500 gecko species, and new ones are still being discovered. Mostly, geckos eat insects. And they can walk on the ceiling thanks to millions of tiny hair-like structures on their feet: the setae.

Title: Geckos: The Animal Answer Guide
Author: Aaron M. Bauer
Publisher: John Hopkins University Press, 2013
ISBN-10: 1421408538
ISBN-13: 978-1421408538